Shanty

This has got to be one of my favourite 7" Rocksteady records.

Desmond Dekker was considered by many as a rude boy icon, even though his music was never about violence, a theme which was starting to catch on among the rudeboys. However, it was fellow Beverly's record label mate Derrick Morgan's 'Tougher Than Tough', which he featured on, that ironically propelled him to become an iconic rudeboy figure and also a hero in the UK Mod scene.

Although he continued releasing a couple of tracks for rudeboys, most of the time, his music circled mainly on topics such as religion, morality and to a certain extent, the rights of people with African roots.

In a span of about 20 years, between 1963 to the early 1980s, Desmond Dekker's talent saw him release records of similar but different genres, mainly Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae and 2 Tone. As talented as he was, Desmond Dekker never had a smooth-sailing career, which was fraught with ups and downs. Which is a big pity to me, for his music never fails to uplift the spirit.

Desmond Dekker & The Aces - 007 (Shanty Town)